Kathy Bates's Real Name: Kathleen Doyle Bates

Quick answer: Kathy Bates's documented full name is Kathleen Doyle Bates. The International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers and Encyclopaedia Britannica record that she was born on June 28, 1948, in Memphis, Tennessee. She is an American actress of stage, screen, and television, best known for the Academy Award-winning role of Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990) (Britannica; Encyclopedia.com).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress heading is "Bates, Kathy, 1948-." The International Dictionary gives "Kathleen Doyle Bates," born in Memphis on 28 June 1948, and notes a B.F.A. from Southern Methodist University. Britannica likewise says she was raised in Memphis and studied theater at SMU in Dallas (B.F.A., 1969). The International Motion Picture Almanac, cited by the Library of Congress, records "Bates, Kathy; b. 6/28/48 in Memphis, TN; actress." In 1970 she moved to New York City and worked odd jobs while pursuing acting.

Career highlights

Bates landed minor stage roles and in 1971 appeared in Taking Off, the first American film of director Milos Forman. Her first Off-Broadway role was Joanne in Vanities (1976), which helped her secure a part in Straight Time (1978). Successful plays of the late 1970s and 1980s included Crimes of the Heart (1979); 'Night, Mother (1983), which brought a Tony Award nomination; and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune (1988). She won the Academy Award for best actress for her performance as an obsessed fan in Rob Reiner's Misery (1990). Other notable films include Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Titanic (1997), with Kate Winslet, and Primary Colors (1998). The International Dictionary also records that in 1993 she directed episodes of the television series NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life on the Street. Britannica notes later television work on Six Feet Under and American Horror Story. Filmography lists associated with her Britannica entry also include Dolores Claiborne (1995), About Schmidt (2002), and Midnight in Paris (2011). Although she has directed, she is known primarily as an actress of unusually forceful, often transgressive women, a reputation Britannica ties to the Misery breakthrough after years of stage work that Hollywood had been slow to translate to leading film roles. The International Dictionary quotes her, in the late 1980s, explaining that she lost roles because she was "not slender and glamorous," a remark that helps explain why Misery arrived when she was already a seasoned theater actor.

Name notes for searchers

Kathleen Doyle Bates is the documented full name; she is known professionally as Kathy Bates. Searchers looking for Annie Wilkes from Misery or the Titanic supporting player are usually aiming at the same person.